JP7444654B2 - Air conditioning system and target person identification system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioning system and a subject determination system.

Technologies are being considered to reduce the risk of infectious diseases indoors. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for preventing a managed section from being contaminated by pathogens. The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 allows or prohibits an intruder from entering a managed division based on characteristics such as whether or not the intruder is wearing a mask.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-286165

For example, there are rooms such as hospital waiting rooms where an unspecified number of people come and go. Furthermore, among the unspecified number of people, some people are infected with pathogens such as influenza viruses, and others are not infected with pathogens. In other words, there may be cases where people with pathogens and people without pathogens coexist in a certain room. As described above, there is a need for a technology that reduces the risk of infection from a person with a pathogen to a person without a pathogen in a room where people with a pathogen coexist with people without a pathogen. For example, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 aims to prevent contamination of the managed compartment in the first place, so it is difficult to apply it indoors where people with pathogens and people without pathogens coexist.

Therefore, the present invention provides an air conditioning system and a subject determination system that reduce the risk of airborne infection.

An air conditioning system that is an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of air supply ports, a plurality of exhaust ports, and a sensor that acquires primary information regarding a subject who is present in a room in which the air supply ports and the exhaust port are installed. Using the primary information, determine whether the subject falls under the first monitoring subject or the second monitoring subject, and if the subject falls under the first monitoring subject, perform the first control. and a control unit that performs second control when the subject falls under the second monitoring subject, and the control unit is arranged in an area where the first monitoring subject exists as the first control. Exhaust operation is performed by the exhaust port, and air supply operation is performed by the air supply port arranged in the area where the second person to be monitored exists as a second control.

In this air conditioning system, it is determined whether a subject present in a room corresponds to either a first monitoring subject or a second monitoring subject. In other words, it becomes possible to treat people who are likely to carry pathogens and require isolation and have a high risk of infecting others as the primary monitoring subjects, and also to treat people who are likely to not carry pathogens and who are at risk of transmitting pathogens to others as the primary monitoring subjects. It becomes possible to treat a person requiring protection who has the possibility of being infected as a second person to be monitored. Air is then exhausted from the area where the first person to be monitored exists, and air is supplied to the area where the second person to be monitored is present. According to such control of exhaust air and air supply, air flows from the area where the second person to be monitored exists to the area where the first person to be monitored exists. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that pathogens possessed by the first person to be monitored will reach the second person to be monitored through the air. Therefore, the risk of airborne infection can be reduced.

In one form, the control unit uses the primary information to generate secondary information including characteristic information about characteristic parts of the subject's body and body temperature information about the subject's body temperature, and uses the secondary information. It may be determined whether the subject falls under the first monitoring subject or the second monitoring subject. According to the characteristic information, it becomes possible to determine whether or not the subject wears an article. Furthermore, according to the body temperature information, it becomes possible to determine the subject using the subject's body temperature.

In one form, the characteristic site may be the subject's mouth, and the characteristic information may be whether or not the subject's mouth is visible. By setting the mouth as the characteristic part and setting whether or not the mouth is visible as a condition, it is possible to determine whether or not the subject's mouth is covered.

In one form, the control unit includes a first means for determining whether or not the subject's mouth is visible using primary information, and a first means for determining whether or not the subject's mouth is visible using primary information; The method may include a second means for comparing the body temperature information with the threshold value, and a third means for determining the subject as the first monitoring subject or the second monitoring subject based on the result of the comparison between the body temperature information and the threshold value.

According to this process, it is determined by the first means whether or not the subject's mouth is covered. Even if the subject is likely to carry a pathogen, it can be assessed that the risk of infecting others is low if the mouth is covered; If the person's body is covered, it can be evaluated that the possibility of being infected by others is low. Conversely, if there is a high possibility that the subject has a pathogen, but the mouth is not covered, it can be assessed that there is a high risk of infecting others, and there is a possibility that the subject does not have the pathogen. If the risk of infection is high, it can be evaluated that there is a possibility of being infected by others. In other words, according to the first means, it is possible to determine whether there is a possibility that the subject falls under the first and second monitoring subjects. Next, the second means compares the body temperature information with a threshold value. As a result, materials for determining the first monitoring target and the second monitoring target based on the body temperature information are provided. Therefore, if we use the results of the second method, we can use the third method to identify subjects with high body temperatures who are likely to carry pathogens and who are at high risk of infecting others because their mouths are exposed. It can be determined that the person is a first monitoring target who is a quarantine target. Conversely, a person with a low body temperature is considered a person in need of protection who is unlikely to carry pathogens and who needs protection because their mouth is exposed and there is a possibility of infecting others. It can be determined that the person is the second monitoring target.

One type of air conditioning system further includes a circulation system that takes in air from the room, conditions it, and then returns the conditioned air to the room, and the control unit controls the circulation system in parallel with the first control and the second control. Third control may be performed to reduce the amount of air returned indoors. According to this process, the flow of air from the area where the second person to be monitored exists to the area where the first person to be monitored is present is not obstructed.

One form of the air conditioning system further includes a temperature adjustment unit that controls the temperature of indoor air, and the control unit performs fourth control that controls the temperature of the indoor air by the temperature adjustment unit in parallel with the third control. You may go. According to this process, even if the amount of air to be circulated is reduced, the indoor temperature can be brought close to the desired temperature.

Another aspect of the present invention is a subject determination system that determines a subject using primary information regarding a subject present in a room, and is configured to obtain characteristic information regarding characteristic parts of the subject's body. , a first means of determining whether or not the subject's mouth is visible using primary information, and obtaining body temperature information regarding the subject's body temperature when the subject's mouth is visible; A second means of comparing the subject's body temperature obtained from the primary information with a threshold value, and a second means of comparing the subject's body temperature obtained from the primary information with the threshold value, and determining the subject as a first monitoring subject or a second monitoring subject based on the result of comparing the body temperature information and the threshold. and third means for determining.

According to the first means of this system, it is possible to determine whether there is a possibility that the subject falls under the first and second monitoring subjects. Next, in the second means, body temperature information is compared with a threshold value. As a result, materials for determining the first monitoring target and the second monitoring target based on the body temperature information are provided. Therefore, if we use the results of the second method, we can use the third method to identify subjects with high body temperatures who are likely to carry pathogens and who are at high risk of infecting others because their mouths are exposed. It can be determined that the person is a first monitoring target who is a quarantine target. Conversely, a person with a low body temperature is considered a person in need of protection who is unlikely to carry pathogens and who needs protection because their mouth is exposed and there is a possibility of infecting others. It can be determined that the person is the second monitoring target.

According to the present invention, an air conditioning system and a subject determination system that reduce the risk of airborne infection are provided.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioning system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a waiting room to which the air conditioning system of the embodiment is applied. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the waiting room in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the controller. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the flow of control performed by the air conditioning system.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioning system 1 is installed in a room, such as a waiting room 100 of a hospital, where an unspecified number of people come and go. In the hospital waiting room 100, there are people who are likely to have a pathogen and people who are not likely to have a pathogen. If you are likely to carry pathogens and are not wearing sanitary products such as a mask, it is desirable to isolate yourself from others as there is a high risk of infecting others with the pathogen. Therefore, in this embodiment, such a subject is referred to as a person requiring isolation 101 (first monitoring subject). On the other hand, if there is a high possibility that the person does not carry pathogens and is not wearing sanitary products, there is a possibility that the person may be infected with pathogens from others, so it is desirable to protect the person. Therefore, in this embodiment, such a subject is referred to as a person requiring protection 102 (second monitoring subject). In such an environment, the air conditioning system 1 prevents the transfer of pathogens from the person requiring isolation 101 to the person requiring protection 102 by controlling the airflow pattern generated in the waiting room 100 by the air supply system 10 and the exhaust system 20. Reduce airborne infection risk.

The air conditioning system 1 includes an air supply system 10, an exhaust system 20, a camera 40 (sensor), and a controller 50 (control unit). Note that the air conditioning system 1 may include other additional components. For example, the air conditioning system 1 may include a circulation system 30 in addition to the above components.

The air supply system 10 includes a plurality of air supply ports 11, a plurality of air supply control dampers 12, an air supply duct main pipe 13, an air supply duct branch pipe 14, and an air supply air conditioner 15.

The air supply air conditioner 15 is arranged outside the waiting room 100. The air supply air conditioner 15 takes in outside air and supplies the air to the waiting room 100 using the air supply fan 15b. The temperature and humidity of this air may or may not be adjusted. As shown in FIG. 1, the air supply air conditioner 15 having the temperature adjustment coil 15a can supply air whose temperature and humidity are adjusted. An air supply duct main pipe 13 is connected to the air supply air conditioner 15 . The main air supply duct 13 extends from outside the waiting room 100 to the space above the ceiling of the waiting room 100.

A plurality of air supply duct branch pipes 14 are connected to the air supply duct main pipe 13, and an air supply port 11 is connected to each tip of the air supply duct branch pipe 14. A plurality of air supply ports 11 are provided on the ceiling of the waiting room 100. The air supply ports 11 are spaced apart from each other and arranged in a grid pattern. In the example shown in FIG. 2, four air supply ports 11 are arranged in the width direction, and four air supply ports 11 are also arranged in the depth direction. Furthermore, the intervals between the air supply ports 11 may be approximately constant. The air supply port 11 is connected to the tip of the air supply duct branch pipe 14 and receives air supply from the air supply duct branch pipe 14 .

Further, the air supply duct branch pipe 14 is provided with an air supply control damper 12 between the distal end and the base end. Air is always supplied from the main air supply duct 13 to all the air supply control dampers 12. Then, by opening the air supply control damper 12, air is supplied to the waiting room 100 through the air supply port 11. The air supply control damper 12 can receive an air supply control signal θ given from the controller 50 and can be switched between an open state that allows air to pass through and a closed state that does not allow air to pass through. In other words, the air supply control damper 12 either sends air or does not send air, and does not have the function of adjusting the air volume to an arbitrary value. In FIG. 1, the air supply control damper 12 shown in white is in the open state, and the air supply control damper 12 shown in black is in the closed state. Therefore, the air supply operations of the plurality of air supply ports 11 are independent of each other, and it is possible to have one air supply port 11 in an operating state and another air supply port 11 in a stopped state.

Note that the air supply system 10 of this embodiment is separated from the exhaust system 20. Therefore, the air flowing through the air supply system 10 moves to the exhaust system 20 via the waiting room 100. That is, air does not move directly from the air supply system 10 to the exhaust system 20 without passing through the waiting room 100.

The exhaust system 20 includes a plurality of exhaust ports 21, a plurality of exhaust control dampers 22, an exhaust duct main pipe 23, an exhaust duct branch pipe 24, and an exhaust fan 25.

The exhaust fan 25 is arranged outside the waiting room 100. The exhaust fan 25 creates a flow that sucks out air from the waiting room 100. The exhaust port of the exhaust fan 25 is arranged outside the waiting room 100. For example, the outside of the waiting room 100 is the outside of the building in which the waiting room 100 is provided. That is, the exhaust system 20 sucks out the air in the waiting room 100 and discharges it outdoors. Therefore, the air sucked in from the exhaust port 21 does not return to the waiting room 100 again. That is, the exhaust system 20 of this embodiment is separated from the air supply system 10 and the circulation system 30.

The exhaust fan 25 is connected to an exhaust duct main pipe 23 . The exhaust duct main pipe 23 extends from outside the waiting room 100 to the attic space of the waiting room 100.

A plurality of exhaust duct branch pipes 24 are connected to the exhaust duct main pipe 23, and an exhaust port 21 is connected to each tip of the exhaust duct branch pipes 24. A plurality of exhaust ports 21 are provided on the ceiling of the waiting room 100. The exhaust port 21 is arranged in parallel near the air supply port 11 . Therefore, the exhaust port 21 also has the same arrangement as the air supply port 11. That is, the exhaust ports 21 are spaced apart from each other and arranged in a grid pattern. In the example shown in FIG. 2, four exhaust ports 21 are arranged in the width direction, and four exhaust ports 21 are also arranged in the depth direction. Furthermore, the intervals between the exhaust ports 21 may be approximately constant. The exhaust port 21 is connected to the tip of an exhaust duct branch pipe 24, and the air sucked into the exhaust duct branch pipe 24 is sent thereto.

Further, the exhaust duct branch pipe 24 is provided with an exhaust control damper 22 between the distal end and the base end. The exhaust control damper 22, like the air supply control damper 12, can receive an exhaust control signal φ given from the controller 50 and can be switched between an open state that allows air to pass through and a closed state that does not allow air to pass through. In FIG. 1, the exhaust control damper 22 shown in white indicates the open state, and the exhaust control damper 22 shown in black indicates the closed state. Therefore, the exhaust operations of the plurality of exhaust ports 21 are independent of each other, and it is possible to put one exhaust port 21 in an operating state and another exhaust port 21 in a stopped state.

The circulation system 30 includes a plurality of suction ports 31A, a blowout port 31B, a circulation duct 32, and a circulation air conditioner 33. The suction port 31A and the blowout port 31B are arranged on the back side and the front side in the waiting room 100. For example, air is supplied to the waiting room 100 from the air outlet 31B on the back side, and air is sucked in from the air intake port 31A on the front side. The suction port 31A and the blowout port 31B are connected to each other by a circulation duct 32. That is, the air sucked in from the suction port 31A on the front side is supplied to the waiting room 100 via the circulation duct 32 again from the air outlet 31B on the back side. That is, the circulation system 30 circulates the air in the waiting room 100. A circulation air conditioner 33 is provided in the middle of the circulation duct 32. Similar to the air supply air conditioner 15, the circulation air conditioner 33 sends out air whose temperature and humidity have been adjusted by a temperature control coil 33a using a circulation fan 33b.

One or more cameras 40 are installed on the ceiling. The camera 40 is installed so as to cover the entire room as an imaging range. When a plurality of cameras 40 are arranged, they may be installed near the four corners of the ceiling, for example. The camera 40 outputs an image using visible light (visible light image) and an image using infrared light (thermal image) to the controller 50. Camera 40 may employ a thermal image sensor such as an infrared thermography camera, for example.

The controller 50 controls the air supply system 10, the exhaust system 20, and the circulation system 30. The controller 50 selects the air supply port 11 that supplies air to the waiting room 100 from among the plurality of air supply ports 11 included in the air supply system 10, and performs an air supply operation from the air supply port 11. Further, the controller 50 stops the air supply operation of the air supply port 11 that does not supply air to the waiting room 100. Furthermore, the controller 50 also performs similar control on the exhaust system 20. That is, the controller 50 selects the exhaust port 21 that sucks air from the waiting room 100 from among the plurality of exhaust ports 21, and performs an exhaust operation from the exhaust port 21. Further, the controller 50 stops the exhaust operation from the exhaust port 21 that does not suck air from the waiting room 100. Moreover, the controller 50 controls the air volume of the circulation system 30. For example, the controller 50 decreases the air volume from a steady value. This "reduction in air volume" includes reducing the air volume to zero. That is, the controller 50 may stop the operation of the circulation system 30.

The controller 50 uses visible light images and thermal images output by the camera 40 for the above control. A visible light image and a thermal image are primary information in this embodiment. The controller 50 is connected to the camera 40 by wire or wirelessly. There is no particular restriction on the position where the controller 50 is installed. For example, it may be placed inside the waiting room 100, or it may be placed outside the waiting room 100 as shown in FIG. Furthermore, it may be placed in the attic.

The controller 50 is realized by a computer executing a program in which operations described below are described. That is, the controller 50 is specifically a computer. The type of computer that can be used as the controller 50 is not particularly limited, and may be selected as appropriate depending on the situation in which the air conditioning system 1 is applied.

As shown in FIG. 4, the controller 50 includes, as functional components, a person detection section 51, a mask determination section 52 (first means), a fever determination section 53 (second means), and a risk determination section 54. (third means) and a control signal output section 55.

The person detection unit 51 determines whether a target person exists in the determination area A using at least one of a visible light image and a thermal image. For example, the coordinates of the visible light image and the position of the waiting room 100 are associated in advance. Then, it is possible to associate a predetermined range in the visible light image with a predetermined range in the waiting room 100. Therefore, the person detection unit 51 determines whether or not the target person is reflected in the corresponding range in the visible light image corresponding to the determination area A. Then, the person detection unit 51 outputs information indicating either "the target person exists in the determination area A" or "the target person does not exist in the determination area A" as a result. Note that the determination area A will be explained in detail later.

The mask determination section 52 operates according to the output of the human detection section 51. Specifically, the mask determination unit 52 starts its operation when a result indicating that “a target person exists in determination area A” is input from the person detection unit 51. On the other hand, the mask determination unit 52 does not start its operation when the result that “the target person does not exist in the determination area A” is input from the person detection unit 51. The mask determining unit 52 that has started operating uses the visible light image to determine whether the subject is wearing a mask. Then, the mask determination unit 52 outputs information such as "the subject is wearing a mask" or "the subject is not wearing a mask" as a result. This result constitutes secondary information as characteristic information regarding characteristic parts of the subject's body.

The determination of the presence or absence of a mask depends on whether a characteristic part of the subject (for example, a mouth) can be detected from the visible light image. If the characteristic part can be detected, it is determined that the mask is not being worn. If a characteristic part cannot be detected, it is determined that the user is wearing a mask. Note that the term "mask" in this embodiment does not mean only a normal mask used as a sanitary product, but includes any mask that can cover the subject's mouth.

The following effects can be obtained by determining whether to wear a mask. If the wearer of the mask were to carry a pathogen, the risk of transmitting the pathogen to others is reduced. If the wearer of the mask does not carry pathogens, the risk of transmitting pathogens from others is reduced. The subject 103 who falls under these conditions does not fall under either the isolation subject 101 or the protection subject 102 who are to be controlled in this embodiment.

Furthermore, wearing a mask narrows the area that can be processed in image processing that targets an image of the subject's head. For example, in a thermal image, when estimating body temperature from the heat distribution over the subject's entire head, and when estimating body temperature from parts of the subject's head that are not covered by a mask (such as the eyes), the former The accuracy of the estimation is lower in the latter case. In other words, determining whether or not a person is wearing a mask can also be used to sort out subjects with high estimation accuracy and subjects with low estimation accuracy in body temperature estimation to be performed later.

The heat generation determining section 53 operates according to the output of the mask determining section 52. Specifically, the fever determination unit 53 starts operating when the output from the mask determination unit 52 is “the subject is not wearing a mask”. The fever determination unit 53 that has started operating estimates the subject's body temperature using the thermal image. Further, the fever determination unit 53 compares the estimated body temperature with a threshold value. Specifically, it is determined whether the body temperature is equal to or higher than a threshold value. The threshold value may be adopted based on the skin surface temperature when the subject's body temperature is generally considered to be a fever. For example, the threshold value may be 35°C. Then, the fever determination unit 53 outputs either of the following information as a result: "The subject's body temperature is above the threshold and the subject is running a fever" or "The subject's body temperature is below the threshold and the subject is not running a fever." do. This result constitutes secondary information as body temperature information regarding the subject's body temperature together with the above-mentioned characteristic information.

In addition, among the above functional components, the mask determination section 52, the fever determination section 53, and the risk determination section 54 constitute a subject determination system for determining a subject.

The risk determination unit 54 uses the outputs of the mask determination unit 52 and the heat generation determination unit 53 to determine the risk. "Risk determination" here refers to determining whether or not the subject is capable of infecting others with pathogens. In other words, "determining risk" refers to determining whether the possibility that the subject is infected with some pathogen is high or low. Then, the risk determination unit 54 outputs information such as "the subject is the person requiring isolation 101" or "the subject is the person requiring protection 102" as a result.

The control signal output section 55 uses the output of the risk determination section 54 to output an air supply control signal θ, an exhaust control signal φ, and a circulation control signal δ.

More specifically, the control signal output unit 55 outputs an exhaust control signal φ that starts the operation of the exhaust port 21 and an air supply when the result of the risk determination unit 54 is “the subject is the person 101 who requires isolation”. An air supply control signal θ that stops the operation of the port 11 and a circulation control signal δ that reduces the air volume of the circulation system 30 are output. The control signal output unit 55 outputs an exhaust control signal φ that stops the operation of the exhaust port 21 and an operation of the air supply port 11 when the result of the risk determination unit 54 is “the subject is the person requiring protection 102”. The air supply control signal θ to start is output.

The air conditioning system 1 uses primary information obtained from the camera 40 to control air supply operation, exhaust operation, and circulation operation. In the control performed by the air conditioning system 1, it is determined whether or not to perform an air supply operation for each air supply port 11. Similarly, it is determined whether or not to perform an exhaust operation for each exhaust port 21. Therefore, a "judgment area A" is defined as a unit of control. As shown in FIG. 3, the determination area A refers to each area divided into a plurality of parts when the waiting room 100 is viewed from above. The plurality of determination areas A form the entire area of the waiting room 100 in plan view. For each determination area A, an air supply port 11 and an exhaust port 21 are arranged.

Hereinafter, the operation of the air conditioning system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

First, a visible light image and a thermal image, which are primary information, are obtained (step S1). This step S1 is executed by the camera 40.

Next, the determination area A(i) to be controlled is specified (step S2). For example, each determination area A is given a unique number. Then, by defining a variable (i) indicating the determination area A(i) and assigning a numerical value to the variable (i), the determination area A(i) to be controlled is designated.

Next, using either the visible light image or the thermal image, it is determined whether or not the subject exists in the determination area A(i) (step S3). This step S3 is executed by the human detection unit 51. If there is no person in the determination area A(i) (step S3: NO), the process moves to designation of the next determination area A(i) (step S6). For example, add 1 to variable (i).

Next, it is determined whether or not the determination of all determination areas A has been completed (step S7). Specifically, it is determined whether the variable (i) has reached a predetermined value. This predetermined value is the number of determination areas A. When the determination of all determination areas A is completed (step S7: YES), all operations are completed. If the determination of all determination areas A has not been completed (step S7: NO), it is determined whether or not there is a person in the next determination area A(i) (step S3).

Next, a case will be described in which a subject exists in determination area A(i) in step S3 (step S3: YES). In this case, it is determined whether the subject is wearing a mask (step S4). This step S4 is executed by the mask determination section 52. If it is determined that the subject is wearing a mask (step S4: YES), the subject is not the person requiring isolation 101 or the person requiring protection 102. Therefore, no control signal is output to the air supply port 11 and exhaust port 21 located in the determination area A(i).

If it is determined that the subject is not wearing a mask (step S4: NO), the process moves to the next step S8. In step S8, it is determined whether the subject who is not wearing a mask has a fever. This step S8 is executed by the heat generation determining section 53.

If it is determined that the subject has a fever by comparing the subject's body temperature estimated from the thermal image with the threshold value (step S8: YES), the risk determination unit 54 determines that the subject is subject to isolation. It is determined that the user is the person 101 (step S9). Then, the control signal output unit 55 outputs a control signal corresponding to the case where the person requiring isolation 101 exists in the determination area A(i). Specifically, first, the control signal output unit 55 outputs the circulation control signal δ (step S10: third control). Furthermore, the control signal output unit 55 outputs the air intake control signal θ that causes the air intake control damper 12 to be in the closed state, and outputs the exhaust control signal φ that causes the exhaust air control damper 22 to be in the open state ( Step S11: first control). Thereafter, the next determination area A(i) is specified (step S6).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the subject does not have a fever (step S8: NO), the risk determination unit 54 determines that the subject is the person requiring protection 102 (step S12). Then, the control signal output unit 55 outputs a control signal corresponding to the case where the person requiring protection 102 is present in the determination area A(i). Specifically, the control signal output unit 55 outputs the air intake control signal θ that causes the air intake control damper 12 to be in the open state (step S13: second control), and also causes the exhaust control damper 22 to be in the closed state. outputs an exhaust control signal φ indicating that Thereafter, the next determination area A(i) is specified (step S6).

This air conditioning system 1 determines whether a person present in the waiting room 100 corresponds to either a person requiring isolation 101 or a person requiring protection 102 . In other words, it becomes possible to treat subjects who carry pathogens and have a high risk of infecting others as persons requiring isolation 101, and subjects who do not carry pathogens and have the possibility of being infected by pathogens from others. can be treated as a person requiring protection 102. Then, air is exhausted from the determination area A (16) where the person requiring isolation 101 exists, and air is supplied to the determination area A(1) where the person requiring protection 102 exists. According to such exhaust and air supply, a flow of air is generated from the determination area A(1) where the person requiring protection 102 exists to the determination area A(16) where the person requiring isolation 101 exists. As a result, it becomes possible to reduce the possibility that pathogens possessed by the person requiring isolation 101 will reach the person requiring protection 102 through the air. Therefore, the risk of airborne infection can be reduced.

The controller 50 acquires feature information regarding characteristic parts of the subject and body temperature information regarding the subject's body temperature. The controller 50 uses the characteristic information and body temperature information to determine whether the subject is an isolation subject 101 or a protection subject 102. According to the characteristic information, it becomes possible to determine whether or not the subject wears an item. Furthermore, according to the body temperature information, it becomes possible to determine the subject using the subject's body temperature.

The characteristic part is the subject's mouth, and the characteristic information is whether the subject's mouth is visible. By setting the mouth as the characteristic part and setting whether or not the mouth is visible as a condition, it is possible to determine whether or not the subject's mouth is covered.

The mask determination unit 52 determines whether or not the subject's mouth is covered. If the subject's mouth is covered and there is a high possibility that the subject carries the pathogen, the risk of infecting others can be assessed as low, and the subject is likely not carrying the pathogen. In some cases, it can be evaluated that the possibility of being infected by others is low. Conversely, if the subject's mouth is not covered and there is a high possibility that the subject has the pathogen, the risk of infecting others can be assessed as high, and there is a possibility that the subject does not have the pathogen. If the risk of infection is high, it can be evaluated that there is a possibility of being infected by others.

That is, according to the mask determination unit 52, it is possible to determine whether the subject falls under the category of the person requiring isolation 101 and the person requiring protection 102. Next, the fever determination unit 53 determines whether the subject's body temperature is equal to or higher than a threshold value. A subject with a high body temperature is not a person requiring protection 102, but is highly likely to have some kind of pathogen. Therefore, if the results of the fever determination unit 53 are used, the risk determination unit 54 determines that a subject whose body temperature is above the threshold is likely to have a pathogen and is likely to infect others because his or her mouth is exposed. It can be determined that there is a high risk of Conversely, a subject whose body temperature is below the threshold is determined to be a person in need of protection 102 who is unlikely to have a pathogen, and who has the possibility of infecting others because his or her mouth is exposed. can.

The air conditioning system 1 further includes a circulation system 30 that takes in air from the waiting room 100, conditions it, and then returns the conditioned air to the waiting room 100. The controller 50 performs control to reduce the amount of air that the circulation system 30 returns to the waiting room 100 in parallel with the control to perform the exhaust operation and the control to perform the air supply operation. According to this process, the flow of air from the determination area A where the person requiring protection 102 exists to the determination area A where the person requiring isolation 101 exists is not obstructed.

The air conditioning system 1 performs an operation (steps S3, S4, S8, S9, S12) of determining the presence or absence of a person requiring isolation 101 or a person requiring protection 102 for each determination area A(i), and The operation of controlling air supply or exhaust (steps S11 and S13) in A(i) was performed. In this case, the area where the person to be isolated 101 is present can be quickly evacuated.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various other modifications are possible. For example, in the physical elements constituting the air conditioning system 1, the following several modifications can be exemplified.

For example, the air conditioning system 1 may further include a temperature adjustment unit that controls the temperature of indoor air. The temperature adjustment unit is air conditioning equipment separate from the circulation system 30. The temperature adjustment unit mainly adjusts the room temperature like the circulation system 30, but the adjustment mechanism is different from the circulation system 30. It is preferable that the temperature adjustment unit adjusts the temperature so that it does not easily disturb the air flow from the air supply port 11 to the exhaust port 21. An example of such a temperature adjustment unit is a radiant air conditioner that does not involve airflow. The controller 50 may perform control to control the indoor air temperature by the temperature adjustment unit (fourth control) in parallel with the control to reduce the air volume of the circulation system 30 (third control). According to this process, even if the amount of air to be circulated is reduced, the indoor temperature can be brought close to the desired temperature.

In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the secondary information generated by the controller 50 is used only for internal control of the controller 50. The secondary information generated by the controller 50 may be output to the outside. For example, when a person 101 requiring isolation exists in the waiting room 100, information to that effect may be output to the outside.

In the above embodiment, both the air supply port 11 and the exhaust port 21 were installed on the ceiling. For example, in a certain determination area A, the air supply port 11 may be placed on the ceiling, and the exhaust port 21 may be placed on the floor.

In the above embodiment, the air supply operation is started and stopped by the air supply control damper 12, and the air supply control damper 12 selectively controls whether or not to supply air. For example, instead of the supply air control damper 12, the air conditioning system 1 may include a variable air volume device that can control the air volume. In this case, it is not only possible to selectively decide whether or not to supply air, but also to control the amount of air when supplying air. As a result, more precise airflow control can be performed. Similarly, the exhaust control damper 22 may be replaced with a variable air volume device.

Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to each embodiment described above, and the following several modifications can be exemplified in the control mode performed by the air conditioning system 1.

In the above embodiment, the presence or absence of a mask and body temperature information are used to determine the subject. For example, other information may be used instead of body temperature information as the information to be combined with the presence or absence of a mask. For example, it may be used as behavioral information indicating whether or not the subject is sneezing, coughing, shivering, or the like.

In the above embodiment, one threshold value is used to determine body temperature information. In other words, the presence or absence of fever was determined using one threshold value. A plurality of threshold values may be used to determine body temperature information. For example, the threshold value for determining that there is a fever may be different from the threshold value for determining that there is no fever.

In the above embodiment, for each determination area A(i), the operation of determining the presence or absence of the person requiring isolation 101 or the person requiring protection 102 and the air supply or exhaust in the determination area A(i) are controlled. I performed the following actions. For example, the operation of controlling air supply or exhaust (steps S11, S13) is the operation of determining the presence or absence of the person requiring isolation 101 or the person requiring protection 102 in all determination areas A(i) (steps S3, S4, It may be performed after S8, S9, S12) are completed (step S7: YES). In this case, each time the presence or absence of the person requiring isolation 101 or the person requiring protection 102 is determined (steps S9 and S12), the determination area A(i) and the person requiring isolation 101 or the person requiring protection are stored in the memory provided in the controller 50. It is stored in association with information indicating the presence or absence of the person requiring protection 102. After the determination process has been completed for all determination areas A(i) (step S7: YES), the controller 50 selects the determination area A(i) stored in the memory and the person requiring isolation 101 or the person requiring protection. A control signal may be output for each determination area A(i) based on the information indicating the presence or absence of the person 102 (steps S11 and S13). In this case, it is possible to achieve the expected airflow throughout the waiting room 100.

In the embodiment described above, it is determined whether to perform the air supply operation or the exhaust operation in a certain determination area A(i). When performing this air supply operation and exhaust operation, the control may be performed, for example, in consideration of the balance between the air supply amount and the air exhaust amount set for the waiting room 100. In this case, instead of the supply air control damper 12 and the exhaust control damper 22, a variable air volume device that can control the air volume may be applied.

In the above embodiment, the air conditioning system 1 is exemplified to include only equipment for airflow control that reduces the risk of air infection. In addition to the first air conditioning system that is the air conditioning system 1 of the embodiment, another second air conditioning system may be installed in the waiting room 100. This second air conditioning system performs normal air supply and exhaust. For example, when performing normal air conditioning control in the waiting room 100, the second air conditioning system is operated. At this time, air supply and exhaust are not performed in the first air conditioning system, but the target person determination operation is repeatedly performed at predetermined intervals. Then, in the determination operation, if the presence of the person requiring isolation 101 or the person requiring protection 102 is confirmed (step S4: NO), the air supply operation and exhaust operation of the second air conditioning system are stopped, Air supply and exhaust operations by the first air conditioning system are started. In the target person determination operation, if the presence of the person requiring isolation 101 or the person requiring protection 102 is no longer confirmed in the waiting room 100 (step S4: YES), the air supply operation by the first air conditioning system and The exhaust operation may be shifted to normal air supply and exhaust operations by the second air conditioning system.

In the above embodiment, the air conditioning system 1 has been described as performing the air supply operation and the exhaust operation when the presence of the person requiring isolation 101 or the person requiring protection 102 is confirmed. The air conditioning system of the modified example may perform a so-called normal air supply operation and exhaust operation when the presence of the person requiring isolation 101 or the person requiring protection 102 is not confirmed. In other words, the modified air conditioning system may have both the functions of the first air conditioning system and the second air conditioning system described in the above paragraph. In this case, the physical components constituting the air conditioning system of the modification are the same as those of the air conditioning system 1 of the embodiment. Mutual switching between the functions of the first air conditioning system and the functions of the second air conditioning system can be realized by switching the control mode by the controller. In other words, the air conditioning system of the modified example may alternately perform the normal air supply operation and exhaust operation and the air supply operation and exhaust operation shown in the control flow of FIG. 5. For example, in normal air supply and exhaust operations, the air supply operation is performed from an air supply port located in a predetermined determination area A(i), and an exhaust port located in another determination area A(i). Exhaust operation is performed from In parallel with these operations, a target person discrimination operation is performed. Then, in the determination operation, if the presence of the person requiring isolation 101 or the person requiring protection 102 is confirmed (step S8: YES), from the first control mode in which the normal air supply operation and exhaust operation are performed, A transition is made to the second control mode in which the air supply operation and exhaust operation shown in the control flow of FIG. 5 are performed.

1...Air conditioning system, 10...Air supply system, 11...Air supply port, 12...Air supply control damper, 13...Air supply duct main pipe, 14...Air supply duct branch pipe, 15...Air supply air conditioner, 20...Exhaust System, 21...Exhaust port, 22...Exhaust control damper, 23...Exhaust duct main pipe, 24...Exhaust duct branch pipe, 25...Exhaust fan, 30...Circulation system, 31A...Suction port, 31B...Blowout port, 32...Circulation duct, 33... circulation air conditioner, 40... camera (sensor), 50... controller (control unit), 51... person detection unit, 52... mask determination unit (first means), 53... fever determination unit (second means) ), 54... Risk determination unit (third means), 55... Control signal output unit, 100... Waiting room, 101... Person requiring isolation (first monitoring target), 102... Person requiring protection (second monitoring target) ), A...judgment area, δ...circulation control signal, θ...air supply control signal, φ...exhaust control signal.

Claims (7)

multiple air supply ports,
multiple exhaust ports,
a sensor that acquires primary information regarding a subject who is present in a room where the air supply port and the exhaust port are installed;
Using the primary information, determine whether the target person corresponds to the first monitoring target person or the second monitoring target person, and if the target person corresponds to the first monitoring target person, a control unit that performs first control and performs second control when the subject falls under a second monitoring target;
The plurality of air supply ports are arranged in a plurality in the width direction of the ceiling so as to be spaced apart from each other in a grid pattern on the ceiling of the room, and also in a plurality in the depth direction of the ceiling ,
The plurality of exhaust ports are arranged in a plurality in the width direction of the ceiling in the ceiling in the room so as to be spaced apart from each other in a grid shape, and also in a plurality in the depth direction of the ceiling ,
Each of the plurality of exhaust ports is arranged adjacent to each of the plurality of air supply ports,
The control unit performs an exhaust operation using the exhaust port arranged in an area where the first person to be monitored exists as the first control, and is arranged in an area where the second person to be monitored exists as the second control. An air conditioning system that performs an air supply operation using the air supply port. The control unit uses the primary information to generate secondary information including feature information regarding characteristic parts of the subject's body and body temperature information regarding the subject's body temperature, and to generate secondary information using the secondary information. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioning system uses the information to determine whether the subject falls under a first monitoring subject or a second monitoring subject. The characteristic part is the subject's mouth,
The air conditioning system according to claim 2, wherein the characteristic information is whether or not the subject's mouth is visible. The control unit includes:
a first means for determining whether or not the subject's mouth is visible using the primary information;
a second means for comparing the body temperature information with a threshold value when the subject's mouth is visible;
The air conditioning system according to claim 3, further comprising a third means for determining the subject as the first monitoring subject or the second monitoring subject based on the result of comparing the body temperature information and the threshold value. . Further comprising a circulation system that takes in air from the room, conditions it, and then returns the conditioned air to the room,
The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit performs third control to reduce the amount of air returned by the circulation system to the room in parallel with the first control and the second control. Air conditioning system. further comprising a temperature adjustment unit that controls the temperature of the indoor air,
The air conditioning system according to claim 5, wherein the control unit performs fourth control to control the temperature of the indoor air by the temperature adjustment unit in parallel with the third control. A plurality of air supply ports are arranged in the width direction of the ceiling in the room, and a plurality of air supply ports are arranged in the depth direction of the ceiling; and a plurality of exhaust ports arranged in the depth direction of the ceiling, each of the plurality of exhaust ports being arranged in the vicinity of each of the plurality of air supply ports. A target person determination system that determines the target person using primary information regarding the target person existing in the room ,
a first means for determining whether or not the mouth of the subject is visible using the primary information in order to obtain characteristic information regarding characteristic parts of the body of the subject;
a second means for comparing the body temperature of the subject obtained from the primary information with a threshold value in order to obtain body temperature information regarding the body temperature of the subject when the subject's mouth is visible;
a third means for determining the subject as a first monitoring subject or a second monitoring subject based on the result of comparing the body temperature information and the threshold ;
If it is determined that the subject is a first monitoring subject, perform an exhaust operation using the exhaust port arranged in the area where the first monitoring subject exists;
A target person determination system that performs an air supply operation using the air supply port arranged in an area where the second monitor target exists when the target person is determined to be a second monitor target.

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